The first five companies to join the Sorbonne University Cité de l'Innovation have been announced

Five companies selected through a call for applications

The Sorbonne University selection committee has chosen five innovative companies to establish themselves within the business center of the Sorbonne University Cité de l’Innovation. The business center is designed to host cutting-edge research and development companies that collaborate closely with Sorbonne University and have already secured initial funding rounds to support their projects.
The selected companies, with an average of six years of activity in fields such as molecular computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and quantum physics, innovative acoustic solutions, and mechanical failure prevention, originate from the university’s laboratories. Each company presented, both in their application and during their interview, a scientific cooperation project aimed at developing stronger ties with the Sorbonne University student community.

Learn more about the five selected companies.

More companies are expected to join the business center soon.

A unique space on the Pierre et Marie Curie Campus in the heart of Paris

The Sorbonne University Cité de l’Innovation is a unique innovation ecosystem integrated into one of Europe’s most prestigious multidisciplinary campuses, located in the heart of Paris's 5th arrondissement. Designed by internationally-renowned architecture firms BIG and OXO, the 15,000 m² space will be dedicated to innovation and project incubation.

The facility will include spaces and services spread across five levels within, a building certified as NF HQE (High Environmental Quality), ensuring eco-responsible design and optimal energy management. Construction began in September 2022 with a total budget of €69 million, co-financed by the City of Paris, the French State, the Île-de-France Region, and Sorbonne University.

Promoting scientific innovation and entrepreneurship

The Sorbonne University Cité de l’Innovation will provide research and development companies—either created within Sorbonne University’s laboratories or working in close collaboration with them—a dedicated space to grow, thereby fostering unprecedented connections between academic research and industry.

Sorbonne University is the first institution to establish such a large-scale infrastructure entirely dedicated to innovation within a teaching and research campus. The Cité de l’Innovation will offer mutual enrichment to all stakeholders within Sorbonne University. Laboratories will benefit from closer relationships with the companies they helped create, through research chairs and contracts. Students will enjoy opportunities offered by the Pépite entrepreneurship center, which will be based at the Cité de l’Innovation, as well as numerous other prospects, including internships, employment opportunities, and assistance with company creation.

Nathalie Drach-Temam, president of Sorbonne University, says of the Cité de l’Innovation:
"We wanted a space where fundamental research and innovation meet and enrich each other. A place where new ideas come to life and where emerging companies can thrive within an unprecedented collaborative ecosystem. Start-ups from Sorbonne University’s research labs have raised an impressive €1.5 billion over the past ten years. This success highlights the strength of our unique innovation ecosystem—a comprehensive framework covering every stage from pre-maturation to start-up creation and support—that will now be brought to life within the Sorbonne University Cité de l’Innovation."

Learn more about the Sorbonne University Cité de l'Innovation.